…polite?
Actually, let’s talk about this through the medium of food.
I’ve made this twice this week. it’s the Fairfax sandwich from Eggslut, the restaurant with the least subtle name and the most subtle food.
It is a sandwich filled with caramelized onions, lightly scrambled eggs, sriracha mayonaise and love. This thing is extraordinary and just insultingly easy to attempt. You lightly scramble the eggs, you toast the bun, you drop the eggs on it, add toppings and eat it too fast to take a photo. Repeat. Easy right?
The half hour I spent cleaning the kitchen of the burned onion smell from my first attempt this morning suggests otherwise.
First time I screwed up the onions. Second time I didn’t have enough eggs and was a little mayo heavy, but DAMN did bacon go well with it. The third time it’ll be different too. Fifth time? I’ll nail it.
That’s how feedback works. Your first idea and first draft are never good enough. All they have to do is be the burned onions version of the Fairfax. All they have to be is the white belt on their first night at class. Show up, get taken down, get up, repeat.
That process of learning by accretion and attrition, by positive reinforcement and honest criticism, is vital. To basically everything. Ever. And far too often in geek circles all we get instead of it is snark or self-righteous tub thumping.
So, those? I’m never here for. But honest, useful feedback that makes my work better? I will cross the road for. I will make coffee for. I will NOT burn the onions for. That stuff is the best.
Anyone else hungry?
Here’s my published work so far. If you want to talk to me about a project you’re hiring for, get in touch. Alternately, come say hi on Twitter and I’ll see you back here tomorrow.